Readers write

Your front page article, What about the beavers? (Sierra Sun April 14) filled me with great sadness and concern for the welfare of our already greatly diminished wildlife population in the face of endless development into their habitats.It strikes me as very ironic that, even though the Truckee Donner Historical Society acknowledges the beavers existence since at least the 1940s, i.e. 65 years or more, their presence is apparently not historic enough to ensure their safety in our very historically correct little town. Any old building in Truckee is certainly regarded as historic at the age of 50 and therefore entitled to great measures of protection and preservation by the Town, Historic Preservation Advisory Committee and the Historical Society. Even the need for the preservation of the Aspen groves is emphasized and referred to as restoring them to their historical pre-1980 condition, i.e., 25 years or so. The statement attributed to Tahoe Donner Forester Bill Houdyschell referring to pooling and minor flooding caused by the beaver dams doesnt sound to me like these guys are causing a whole lot of damage other than disturbing a few nicely (and newly) landscaped backyards.For the benefit of some readers who might not be familiar with the term depredation permit, it is a permit obtained from Fish and Game for the sole purpose of trapping and killing and not in any way to be confused with any form of relocation.Why dont we all just agree to regard these animals as grandfathered in fixtures of our town who have certainly earned the right to live here and be considered locals after 65 years.Live and let live.Luthea ThomasTruckee

A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle highlighted that many golf courses in California are having a hard time staying open, let alone making money (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/03/19/REG3SHQ6BT1.DTL&type=printable)A brief glance at the statistics of golfers tells why. The number of golfers (and rounds of golf) nationally has fallen or stayed flat the last four years running. The so-called Tiger Woods effect has worn off. Golf is a hugely time-consuming and expensive game, and only has a limited ability to grow new players.Meanwhile, as we see in Truckee, golf courses have sprouted up like mushrooms, not because of demand, but in order to sell more real estate. While the sales of homes may pay for the construction of the course, its up to the homeowners and users to foot the bill for long-term maintenance. As Tahoe Donner residents are well-aware, having a golf course is not cheap. And if the overall player numbers continue to decline (or stay flat) while the number of courses continues to explode, its only going to be harder to keep the courses financial sound.As one developer put it, You end up with this boat anchor of a golf course. Given that Truckees real estate always follows the Bay Areas, we should be very, very wary of building any more courses than the existing nine or so that are already within 10 miles of Truckee lest we be left with a big green hole into which we pour money. No matter how you feel about golf and golf courses, any further golf development should be looked at with serious financial scrutiny as to its long term viability.John Hillstrom Truckee

Berms? Berms are the nature of the beast in snow country. Berms? Detrimental to the quality of life in Truckee? Berms? I live in the middle of town on a side street (or low priority street as the town calls it) and if the great snow spirit decides to go into a four-day storm cycle, I won’t see a plow for sometimes a day after the storm lets up. When the plow finally does my street, I shut up, buck up and shovel the berm. Russell Rosario Truckee

The children of Glenshire are becoming less active. I live near the elementary school and I have not heard any cries of 6 year olds, no children on the bike jumps and no children walking down to the general store. Back in 2003 I walked down to the store in a blizzard just to get some chips and soda. Now I see 11 year olds debating on whether to play Star Wars on PS2 or their computer. I am currently a resident at Squaw Valley Academy where we live on the mountain. When were not there were studying or doing tricks on skateboards. When I was growing up in Glenshire you could not walk 10 feet without running into some crazy kid riding his/her bike down Manchester Drive for the fun of the hill or kids playing war in their yards with a few friends. Now it seems my little sister is the only active kid I know. She just goes to the general store for the fun of it whether she has 10 bucks or 20 cents. The elementary school is like and old western flick tumbleweeds rolling across the scene; a single kid playing wall ball. We as big brothers/sisters and parents need to act as role models for the kids so they turn from lazy couch potatoes to thrill-seeking daredevils, which is another reason that we should designate areas where construction is banned so that the kids can build their jumps and forts and movies. In the end I really think that Glenshire has turned from Great place to grow up full of crazy kids to Welcome to the most boring place to grow up. Pat Forbes Truckee